Search Results for: yoga breath pranayama

Tips to Quit Smoking with Yoga

Like any addiction, cigarettes are difficult to quit. All addicts say they will quit tomorrow, or next week, but these promises seldom come to fruition. There are several ways that yoga can help you keep the promise you make to yourself and your loved ones and quit smoking. Smoking stimulates the pleasure areas of the brain, which makes quitting even more difficult. In addition, smoking is temporarily calming and there is an emotional aspect to smoking that interferes with your willingness to quit. One of the biggest ways that yoga helps to break the nicotine habit is that the practice … Continue reading →

Psychological Benefits of Yoga for Teens

Yoga is well known to offer a wide range of physical and psychological benefits to yogis of all ages. However, there are specific benefits to practicing yoga during the teen years. Adolescence is a tumultuous time of life and it is common for mental health problems to surface during these years. Recent research suggests that yoga classes provide specific psychological benefits to kids in high school. The research was conducted by Harvard Medical School at a high school in Massachusetts. For the purposes of the study, they assigned students randomly to either a typical PE class or yoga. In the … Continue reading →

Creating a Yoga Session

At some point in your practice, you will grow tired of yoga on DVD and may decide to tray creating your own practice. With enough knowledge of yoga, some meditative music and a quiet space, you can easily create your own practice. Bear in mind that when you are creating your practice that you want to incorporate pranayama breathing, relaxation techniques, and techniques for the asanas. The first thing to consider when creating your yoga lesion is to begin with a bit of chanting, and come to your breath to let go of stress, fear or anxiety of any type. … Continue reading →

What is Laughter Yoga?

Laughter yoga is a relatively new form of yoga that began in Mumbai, India in 1995. This form of yoga is designed to be a workout that focuses on the well-being of the whole person. Since its inception, it has grown to include groups located in more than 60 countries around the world. Laughter yoga is based on pranayama breathing and laughter. The focus on laughter and joy provide a wide range of physical and psychological benefits. The positive energy that is released through laughter has been shown to help people deal with stress, relieve depression and bring happiness and … Continue reading →

Managing Spring Allergies with Yoga

Spring allergy season is here again, and multiple news sources are reporting that the mild winter is resulting in a difficult spring allergy season. If you suffer from spring allergies, your yoga practice can offer natural relief. Allergies cause several uncomfortable symptoms. Many people experience sinus congestion, chest congestion, watery eyes and headaches during spring allergy season. The allergy aisle at your local drug store or grocery store contains a variety of medications to relieve symptoms, but the effect is minimal for many people and others just prefer a natural remedy. There are several yoga poses that can offer relief … Continue reading →

Releasing Physical, Emotional and Mental Tension with Yoga

Tension is so common that it can feel like a normal state of being. Reducing tension and finding peace is the ultimate goal for many people and yoga can help you get there. Yoga is effective for releasing physical, emotional and mental tension. All tension begins in the mind, which affects your mood and even your physical health over time. The mind affects the body and tension in the mind leads to tension in the muscles, which can result in digestive problems, headaches, backaches and many other symptoms. Yoga helps to relieve tension in the body. Physical tension can lead … Continue reading →

Book: The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by TKV Desikachar

The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice: TKV Desikachar is the son of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, one of the greatest modern yogis. Krishnamacharya lived over 100 years and his teachings have influenced BKS Iyengar, Indra Devi and his son, who has based this book on his fathers concept of viniyoga. Viniyoga maintains that for the optimal therapeutic benefit, yoga must be adapted to the needs of the individual student. The adaptations that are required are always changing, as the needs of the individual are always in flux. In this book, Desikachar discusses his father’s system and his own approach. … Continue reading →

Yoga for Indigestion

Indigestion is a common problem that has many causes. Indigestion can be caused by foods we eat, reactions to specific foods, pregnancy and even stress. There are a wide variety of products on the market to prevent and relieve indigestion. If you are looking for a natural remedy, look no further than your yoga mat. Yoga aids digestion in several ways. The various asanas in yoga help to improve blood circulation and oxygenation of the body. Improved blood flow and oxygen helps to stimulate the organs of the body, including the digestive organs. In addition to the asanas, pranayama breathing … Continue reading →

Using Pranayama to Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the many conditions that yoga benefits. One of the main ways yoga works to relieve anxiety is through the slowing and relaxing of the breath. Pranayama breathing techniques can help interrupt the fast shallow breathing and the anxious feeling that accompanies an anxiety attack. The slower and deeper inhalation and longer exhalation improves oxygenation and relaxes the throat, chest and stomach. As you take in oxygen and breathe out the tension, the fight or flight response that is the hallmark of an anxiety attack begins to dissipate. The normal yogic breathing you do on your mat, … Continue reading →

How Yoga Helps Overcome Fear

Fear is a common affliction and specific fears are very personal. It takes effort, but people are able to overcome their fears using a variety of tools and techniques. Yoga can help you on your path to conquering your fears. Whether it is a fear of flying, financial worries or any other phobia, yoga offers the tools to calm your mind, observe your thoughts, and overcome your imagination. Regardless of the specific fear or cause of anxiety, the danger is imagined and has little basis in reality. There are many good reasons to overcome fears. Over time, fear and stress … Continue reading →